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Has your Sun Protection Expired?

Around this time of year many people start to look towards their summer holiday, they go through last summer’s clothes and toiletries to plan shopping sprees and to start packing. Many find last year’s left over bottle of sunscreen and chuck it in the case,;however, you should always make sure it is still in date before you tick that off your shopping list.

Many people are unaware that all sun screens actually come with an expiry date. Most come with a shelf life of around three years, which should be plenty of time to use up if you use the correct amount during your holiday or even during the (rare) hot British days.

If the sunscreen has a ‘long life’ of up to three years, there probably won’t be an expiry date on the bottle as the manufacturer is under no obligation to add one. However, if the ointment has a shorter life, then an expiry date should be present on the label or bottle.

Always make sure your sun protection is in date and in good condition before you apply to your skin. If the sun screen is past its prime, (either because it has expired, or because you have left it out in the sun) its effectiveness will be dramatically decreased, and the result may be a nasty sun burn or even sun stroke.

If you cannot find an expiry date, and you are unsure about the quality of your left over sunscreen, simply look out for the warning signs below. Throw your sun screen away and buy a fresh bottle if…

· There is crystallisation in the bottle.

· The liquid has separated.

· There is a strange or unpleasant odour coming from the bottle.

Any of the above will show that the chemicals which make sunscreen effective have begun to separate and degrade, making it useless.